Ask HN: Why are property limits so fuzzy in North American suburbs? https://ift.tt/TRW3nvB Coming from South America, I'm used to resid...
Ask HN: Why are property limits so fuzzy in North American suburbs? https://ift.tt/TRW3nvB Coming from South America, I'm used to residential lots having well-defined property limits. In the larger, denser cities, this usually means huge walls. But even in gated communities in the outskirts of town, where neither density nor safety is an issue, lots - including the front yard - are well defined by small fences or hedges. I live in a suburb in metro Vancouver (Canada), but the same goes for the US. I'm kind of surprised at how fuzzy the lot limits are. Some examples: * Sidewalks typically merge with the front lawn; there is no visible property limit. * Neighboring lots usually are not fenced; random shrubbery or just grass separates lots. What if I want to plant a different tree there? Or my neighbor wants to pave it? * There's a laundry pole in my neighbor's lot. It connects both to his and my house. I find this weirdest of all. Who owns it? What if he doesn't like the pole and wants to take it down? Canadians and Americans probably won't find anything unusual in the examples above, but its all a bit odd from a foreigner's perspective. 8
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